Internal-combustion engine



INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENG INE 2 Sheets-Shee-t 1 Filed NOV. 5, V1923 mw Hm om my l Irun l;

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M. l.. ZIMMER l INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Nov. 3, 1923 Illll 13m-enf@ Maan/@ L .Z/rnmar" Patented May 12, 1925.

UNITED STATESN PTEM"` 0f FFICE; f

MEADE L. ZIMMER, oFcoRDoBA, ARGENTINA* INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENG-INE.

Application inea Novemberpa, 1923. serieuy No. 672,453.

To all whom. t may concern: p

Be it known, that I, MEADE L. ZIMMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cordoba, Argentina, have invented a new and useful Internal-Combustion Engine, of which the following is a specification.

Although particularly adapted for an internal combustion engine, this invention is capable of general use. At any rate it is to be used always in connection with an engine having a plurality of cylinders and pistons in which the pistons operatealternately.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide an engine, particularly an internal combustion engine, with reciprocating pistons that rotate uniformly `in the cylinder so that the piston at no ytime need actually touch the walls of the cylinder, and the piston rings will act as laps to tend to make the lit between the rings and walls. of the cylinders more and more perfect as the engine continues to be used, thereby giving increased power;'to provide for the elimination of all clogging of the spark plugs, and theformation of carbonfbythe above mentioned arrangement as no oil will be able to get by the piston rings; and to provide a uniform rotation imparted at its maximum eliciency at all times vthroughout the stroke, thus eliminating vibration, as well as `giving great power and smoothness. It also somewhat reduces the cost'ofan` internal combustion engine to eliminate the crank shaft and crank motion'as well as the piston slaps or pounding of the connecting rods, thus securing silent operation. With this arrangement I secure increased compression, eliminate carbon formation, eliminate dirty spark plugs, reduce fuel consumption, increase the utilization of the energy expended, secure greater power applied more uniformly, and provide all this with a reduction in vibration.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal sectional view of a four-cylinder internal combustion engine constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2. is a transverse central sectional view of one of the elements thereof;`

Fig. 3 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 1 showin-g a modification; and

"Figl is` a viewof the samel similar to` Fig. 2.

`In the preferred form" shown in Figs. `1 i and 2, the invention is shown as applied to an internal combustion engine of well known type -having four cylinders 10, although it can be applied `to anengine with any other number of cylinders.

In each cylinder there is a piston llprovided with packingy rings as usual and having a piston rod 12 extending through a gland .18 lin the end of the cylinder. Each of these piston rods is provided with a radial stud 14, on the end of which is a roll '15. This roll is located `in -ar track 16.7` This track is spaced at an equal distance all around frointhe axis of the cylinder and v yfrom the rod. It is provided with ai camgroove fitting ythe roll 15 and extending along therodlengtlnvise and entirely around it so that it forms a helicalelliptical path for the roll. `The curve of this endless track is designed in such a way as to cause the longitudinal motion of the rod 12to rotate the rod througha half circle onone stroke and the other half circle on the back stroke, bringing the roll back in a complete .stroke forward and back to its original'position and keeping'the:rotation of the rod consta-nt.

Ity willV be of the rodcanbe provided with a gear 17,

another gear on a shaft 19 and that the power can be transmitted from the piston =to vthe shaft asa rotation'. In other words, thev reciprocation is convertedinto a rotation andthat rotation is made constant and continuous.'

The above description applies lto one of the piston and cylinder `elements ofthe engine and no means is described in connection with it for bringing the piston backto original positionv androtating `the same through `a second half of the revolution. This is accomplished in a multi-cylinder engine by arranging the pistons to operate at different times, that is, alternately, and placing" a gear, preferably a spiral gear 20, on each` piston rod `and slidingly keyed thereto, which will rotate with the rod but will lnot reciprocate. This gear is mounted between face bearings 21 for that purpose. several gears 20 on the several piston rods mesh directly together so that at those times seen, therefore, that the end as `for example,` abevel gear, meshing with These when there is no oWer to move one rod longitudinallyy allot er one Willaet to op.- erate it. Y v

The operation will be obvious from-What has been said. Starting with the first .cylinder at the moment of explosion, the piston descends and in so doingxis given a. rotary motion through a half circle. This of course rotates all j the pistons through the same angle. By the time the first piston has reached the end -of its `stroke the charge in #2 cylinder explodes, giving a second impulse to the motor Which-raises rthe first piston, push-ing vout the lburnt gas.l 'lhen' it has :again reached the end of its stroke,- exp'losion takes place -rin #3 cylinderand #i piston vis forced tol descend, Adrawing in a new charge. The charge no-.W yexplodes in #4 vvjhic'h causes the first piston to rise, thus compressing the chargeand bringing yit back to vorigin-al position ready to explode a new charge and start the cycle over again.; I have not shown the sparking arrangement, as any .ordinary means can be used. Itwill be understood that each .piston rod slides back and forth through the gear 20 at the bottom.

With :this construction the several pistons will rotate uniformly in their-cylinders and do not need to actually touch the Walls thereof. The piston rings act asa lap to tend to malte thet between` the ringsy and walls more andV more perfectafter -Wear. As -no oil is able to get by the piston rings the formation of carbon is eliminated, together With the dirtying of the spark plugs. The present yelliptical Wear of the cylinder is entirely obviated. The motion is .uniform at all times throughout `the stroke 4and is imparted to the driven shaft at its maximum efficiency, thus .eliminating vibration and producing an extremely s-mooth running engine. The cost is somewhat reduced, the construction and fitting of the .crank shaft and piston rods is eliminated, the piston slap and pounding ,of the yconnecting rods are done away With, so that al substantially noiseless running engine is provided, the compression is increased, and fnel .consumption is reduced.

In the form shovvn` on the second sheet of drawings, in Figs. 3 and 4, the sameresults are secured and the ydevice need not bedescribed in detail, but lhere the` pistonrod `ona fixed pin or roll 25.

itself is kprovided with a cam groove or .track 26 Vwhich surrounds yit and causes the saine-motion as above described by its action The other features above-.mentioned are the same.

Although I have illustrated and described Onlytwo forms yof the invention I am aware of the` fact that other modifications can be made therein by 'any person skilled in the art Without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed 'int-he claims. There- `fore `I do 'not'W-ish to be limited l-to all the detailsherein shown and described, but Ywhat Ido claim lis:

1. In -an internal combustion engine, the combination 4with a set of cylinders `and pistons, kof a -rod connected with each piston, means whereby the 'longitudinal motion of each rod will cause the rod to turn on its own axis, and means for gearing all said rods together to transmit'the motion of rotation from one to another throughout the entireseries.

'2. In 4an engine, the combination with a 'set of .cylinders and pistons Aarranged to operate longitudinally, each piston having a rod, a guide outside each cylinder for turning the piston therein las the rod roset of cylinders and pistons, each piston hav- 'ing a rod, the ypistons being arranged tol operate alternately, means'for turning the pistons as they reciprocate, vand a setk of gears, 4one on each .rod directly vmeshing with each' other to directly gear the rods together and .cause them to rotate always at the Ysame speed.

4. In an intern-al combustion engine, the combination With a Iset of cylinders and pistons arranged to' operate alternately, lof a rod connected with each piston, means surrounding and extending-along each rod yand located at a distance-from it for causing the reciprocating motion .of thel rody Itoturn the -rod and its'piston, and means forconnecting the rods together to .cause'them all to turn at the saine speed.

In testimony whereof r I have here-unto affixed my signature.

M. L. ZIMMER. 

